


Something You Want, Something You Need

by echo_wolf



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2015-06-23
Packaged: 2018-04-05 17:39:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4188885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echo_wolf/pseuds/echo_wolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beca Mitchell's not really sure how, but a copper-haired Cocker Spaniel (who walked into her bathroom while she was singing in the shower) managed to change her life and give her Chloe Beale.  </p><p>Or the story of how DJ-just-moved-in-down-the-hall Beca and  travelling-private-music-instructor Chloe succeed to be disgustingly domestic with a dog and 5000 miles distance</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something You Want, Something You Need

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from the song "Something You Need" by Against the Current. Enjoy!

"Bella, sit!" is all Beca hears before she loses her balance and falls to the floor, the box in her arms flying across the carpet. She opens her eyes and is met with a dog's snout all over her face.

"I'm so sorry" is the next thing she hears. She's about to get all in a rage because this stupid dog just sent her to the ground without any warning. She's not sure what she expected, but she surely wasn't expecting fiery hair and bright blue eyes. One glance at the warm smile and her rage just dissipates.

"It's-that's-" Beca takes a breath, "It's fine." She takes the hand the redhead offers her and lets herself be pulled up to her feet. "Thanks."

"Sorry about Bella. She gets a little excited around people."

"You don't say..."

The woman with the flowing red hair and frustratingly charming personality just winks at her, "Well, people she likes anyways."

Beca raises an eyebrow, always unsure of how to take a compliment (especially from rather attractive strangers), she stutters,  "Th-Thanks."

Before Beca can make a run for it, the redhead just keeps talking, "Oh, hey, you have a bug tattoo!” She trails her fingers over Beca's tattoo (which makes Beca squirm a little bit because, hello, close contact). She lets go of Beca's arm to stick out her own facing up and says, "I have one too. It's a ladybug. Yours is a grasshopper right?" "

The smaller woman can't help but smile because the redhead seems so proud of her tattoo and who is she to take away that away from her? So she smiles all polite (maybe even genuinely) and offers a compliment, "That's really cool."

The redhead's beaming-- and is it really this easy to make someone smile or is she just a happy person? Beca can't figure it out, but is drawn out of her thoughts when she notices that she's being spoken to.

"Well, I gotta get this one into closed quarters. Who knows what trouble she'll get into out here?" She picks up the box that Beca was carrying and hands it to Beca. "Here you go. Oh, and welcome to the floor!" The woman says cheerfully.

Beca, all sorts of stunned and confused, watches as the dog trots behind its owner. The woman looks back at her with a warm smile before disappearing into the apartment down the hall.

***

Beca sets her hands on her hips as she studies her studio apartment with a sweeping glance. She's been staying at her new place for two weeks and has finally gotten herself settled in. Mostly everything's been put away, despite the boxes still littering the place.

This is where she's always wanted to be. LA: the City of Angels and the world of endless musical possibilities. And she finally made it.  Well, sort of. She's a radio DJ who just queues music between the hours of midnight and the morning show, but, hey, she has to start paying her dues somewhere.

She checks the clock and triumphs at the idea of having a few hours to herself before having to head to the station. She frowns at the state of her appearance, sweaty from all the movement and unpacking since noon. She continues to frown at the sight of her mixing equipment on her desk as if it were calling her name.

But, at the same time, she feels kind of gross.

The brunette sighs and walks over to her dresser, which she assembled herself the night before so she's half expecting it to just fall to rubble at her feet. She successfully grabs a change of clothes without any of her furniture falling part, much to her relief.

Her phone goes off and she picks it up without looking because she already knows who it is, "What's up, Jesse?"

"Hey yourself, Becaw." She can imagine him grinning as he says it and fights the urge to roll her eyes. They've yet to even start their conversation. "How was the move-in? Did you make any friends yet?"

"I've literally been here for like two weeks, Jesse. And you know me, I don't make friends." She doesn't want to mention meeting the redhead from down the hall because he'd be on a sworn mission

to make them best friends. And she's got Jesse and Stacie for that.

"Look, I know you think you're unapproachable and intimidating," he pauses so she can hear the smile in his voice, " and easy as that may be for you... you can't hide yourself away and work all the time. That's not healthy."

"I turned out just fine thriving on solitude, haven't I?"

"That's because Stace and I were there to break you out of your shell during college, young grasshopper." And it's true. They had all gone to the same community college together in Maine and Beca couldn't quite get rid of the nerd and the social butterfly she calls her best friends. Jesse's an intern for a small movie production studio in New York and Stacie travels between LA and Seattle for a marketing firm. Despite their busy lives, they always seem to check in on Beca.

She shuts her eyes, "Oh, stop it with the movie references, Swanson! You're my best friend and I love you, but you're so annoying."

"And you're just a ray of sunshine, aren't you?" He clicks his tongue, "Alright, I'll let you go. But, seriously, go make a friend." He pauses, "Or else I might have to send Stacie to check on you."

"I'll be fine, Jess." She smiles, only half rolling her eyes, "Later."

"Later, Becaw."

***

"You honestly should be sleeping instead of worrying about any of this. I've got everything under control. I did run your dog's namesake for a year." Aubrey says as she adjusts the angle of her phone.  

"I know, Bree, but" Aubrey watches Chloe shrug on her cellphone screen, "I can't help it. I can't sleep. I'm still on LA time. Besides, I slept on the plane." She whines, but only a little bit before she starts thanking her best friend for doing her the biggest favor ever, "I can't thank you enough for doing this for me."

"Anything for my best friend." Aubrey smiles, a little too enthusiastically, when she spots Chloe's 2-year-old Cocker Spaniel resting on the couch. "Besides, this will give me and Bella some time to bond, right?" She sounds skeptical and even Chloe can hear the hesitation.

"She'll love you even more than me by the end of this month, don't you think?" Chloe frowns through the screen of Aubrey's phone, "Do you think she hates me for leaving her for entire month? Will she think I abandoned her?"

"Chlo, she'll be fine. She adores you more than anything." Aubrey walks over to the dog and places the screen in front of Bella, "See?"

"Who's a good girl?" Chloe croons as the dog pushes her snout right up against the screen, and the blonde makes a mental note to wipe her screen when she gets to her car. "So, you know where her dog food is, when to take her out and--"

"Yes, Chloe," Aubrey rolls her eyes as she takes the screen away from the dog so she can speak to her friend, "We went over this at least 5 times before I took you to the airport yesterday morning and another 5 times during the car ride to the airport."

"Okay, then." Chloe looks a little disappointed and Aubrey rolls her eyes again.

"Alright, say goodbye to Bella and at least get a quick nap in before the convention starts."

She turns around to show Bella her phone, but nearly drops it when Bella's nowhere to be found.

***

Beca climbs into the shower and sings to herself, simultaneously hashing out the mix she's going to work on before she goes to work.  " _Bulletproof. Nothing to lose. Fire away, fire away_."

Then she hears some movement past the shower curtain, which is all sorts of frightening because she lives alone and there really shouldn't be any other noises, and stills until she's certain she doesn't hear anything anymore. She dips her head back under the flowing water before singing a few more bars, " _Ricochet. You_ _take your aim. Fire away, fire away_."

She pauses and hears some rustling and then it almost sounds like --

_Woof!_

Beca blinks numerous times because that's impossible. There's no way there's a dog in her apartment because, for one, she doesn't have one. So, she shakes her head and tries to sing again because clearly she's just very tired and she's starting to hallucinate.

" _You shoot me down but I won't fall.  I am titanium_."

This time she's accompanied with what sounds like howling. Is she hearing things or is a dog seriously trying to harmonize with her right now? She shuts off the water and quickly wraps her towel around herself. She pulls her curtains back to find a red-haired dog staring up at her with hopeful eyes as if it's encouraging her to continue singing. It's that stupid dog again, the one that toppled her over the day she moved in. It literally looks like it's not weird at all that it interrupted her shower, like this is an socially acceptable thing that happens. She groans at the urge to feel guilty at puppy dog eyes.

Beca Mitchell doesn't do puppy dog eyes.

Beca then decides to grab her robe because there's no way she's going to turn her back to throw some clothes on. Who knows what this animal's up to? She's never been one for dogs or cats or any kind of animal that requires attention and care. She's not built for that.

Once her robe is on, she picks up the dog (who happily sticks its tongue out) and rushes out into the hallway to find that her door has been magically opened. "Dude, seriously? Do you know how to pick locks?" She shakes her head and cries out, the dog just staring at her expectantly, "Oh, for Christ's sake, like you'd answer!"

She walks out her door to find a rather cranky looking blonde coming her way, "What do you think you're doing with that dog, dog thief?!"

Beca face distorts into incredulous belief, "Are you serious? Why would I steal a dog in my bathrobe?" She scoffs, "I don't even like dogs."

"What if that's your alibi?" The blonde lifts her chin, "Besides, you won't get away with it this time! That dog belongs to my best friend!"

"This time? What are you--your best friend?!" Beca could hardly believe it, but she smirks because this blonde seems to bristle at every word she says. "How do I know _you're_ not a dog-napper? "

Before the taller woman can get another rebuttal out, her phone comes to life. Beca watches as the woman forces a smile onto her very stressed features and speaks to her phone, "Hey, Chlo. I found her." She glares back at Beca, "One of your neighbors was so kind to have picked her up, even though I'm sure she would've gotten away with stealing your dog."

"Steal her?! She walked into my bathroom. Of course, I was going to pick her up!"

The woman's voice sounds sweetly through the phone, "Oh, be nice, Bree. No harm done. Will you please just thank my neighbor?"

Beca swears the blonde's eye just twitches, so she steps forward to offer the dog up as surrender, "It's fine. No thanks necessary." She clears her throat and looks around as she's becoming fairly aware that she's standing in the middle of the hall in nothing but her bathrobe, "I'd just, um, like to get back to my shower."

The Bree chick takes the dog from her hands, and Beca is ready to turn back into her apartment when she hears, "Wait a second."

She stops in her tracks and Bree just hands over her cell. Puzzled, she turns the device so she can look at the person on the tiny screen. She almost chuckles because, of course, this girl would pick the dog that just infiltrated her bathroom. And of course, they'd meet again like this out of all the possible situations.

"Oh, it's you again." She giggles as if they've known each other forever, "I just wanted to thank you. I honestly thought we lost her." Her smile is bright and warm-- genuine. And Beca's mind just goes blank for an excruciatingly long second. "Like I said, Bella gets really excited around people she likes."

The brunette winces once her thoughts are grounded, "Really, it's fine."

The redhead moves closer so her features are occupying the screen from width to width, dropping her voice low, "Sorry about Aubrey. Her and Bella don't get along very well, but she's doing me a favor."

"We get along just fine!" The other woman, Aubrey, protests, but Bella lets out a low growl. "Bella!"

Beca stifles a laugh as Bella leaps out of the blonde's arms and sits herself at Beca's feet. Further perplexed, she looks down at the dog and faces the camera down to the dog, "Does she, uh, do this often?"

"Aw, that's so cute!” The redhead almost seems like she’s gushing, “Bella must really like you."

Beca's eyes widen, panic washing over because that's never happened before, "Uh, animals don't really take a liking to me."  

She turns the phone back to herself and grimaces when the redhead is talking again, "I don't see why not. You're adorable. Even Bella thinks so."

The stranger on the phone says it with such ease that the brunette feels the color burn her cheeks all the way down to her neck. She awkwardly shrugs into her robe in a lame attempt to hide it.

"I'm Chloe, by the way."

"Beca."

"I guess I'll be seeing more of you when I get back." The redhead says it like none of this is weird or awkward, flashing a dazzling smile that makes Beca offer a small smile in return.

Beca grimaces. She's not really accustomed to making friends with her neighbors, if this even fits that category, so she just nods politely and hands the phone back to Aubrey. And the blonde just eyes her with such scrutiny that it nearly makes Beca want to crawl into a hole or start a fight- she's not sure which. In any case, she bends down to give Bella quick ear rub and bids the blonde and the mysterious redhead goodbye before heading back into her apartment.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts of reds and impossible blue, she shuts the door behind her. She makes the sure the door is locked this time.

This whole encounter is totally Jesse's fault.

***

           

A few mornings after the shower incident (as Jesse calls it), Beca arrives back at her door after a long night at the station. She's so ready for a nice shower and sleep that she doesn't notice that there's a four-legged animal pawing at her front door as she's about to unlock it. She barely notices Bella rushing into her home and making herself comfortable on her couch. And it probably wouldn't have even registered if Aubrey didn't appear behind her and tapped her on the shoulder, "Excuse me."

Beca blinks away the exhaustion overtaking her and replies dryly when she recognizes who it is, "What can I do you for?"

Aubrey simply sighs, "Bella just ran into your place."

"What? No, she didn-" Beca tries to argue, but the protest dies at her lips when she notices a pile of shiny red fur on her couch. "Oh."

The blonde, looking a little more high-strung since their last encounter, calls out for the Cocker Spaniel. "Bella, come on, girl."

Beca watches as the dog doesn't even react, unless an exhale counts. The dog sighs again and snuggles herself into the couch more. The brunette stifles a laugh at the sight of Aubrey's glare and scratches the back of her head. "So, uh, how come you two don't get along?" Aubrey glares harder, if that's even possible, and Beca just nods, "Alright, sore subject. But, the problem's still at hand. You need to get her off my couch."

The brunette takes pity at the way Aubrey's eye looks like it's going to bulge out from twitching so much, so she just chuckles and walks over to pick up a very eager looking Bella. She places the dog on the ground to follow her interim guardian, but she just waltzes right back into Beca's apartment and makes herself comfortable on Beca's couch.

"Bella!" Aubrey calls for Bella again, but she refuses to listen-- as in she literally refuses to lift her head and acknowledge that she's being called.

Aubrey's phone comes to life in her hand, and Beca hears her groan, "Great." She makes a gesture and answers the call, "Hey, Chlo." Beca turns her head and grins at the blonde, who simply wears another one of her forced smiles.

"Hi Bree." The voice from yesterday flits through the doorway and Beca forgets that she's even remotely tired. "How's Bella?"

"Well," Aubrey begins, "She may or may not have visited her new friend from the other day."

"Oh, you mean, Beca?" Beca's ears perk up about the same time that Bella finally lifts her head from the couch. She's surprised the girl even remembers her, but her excitement makes Beca crack a small smile, "Is she there?"

"Bella let herself into Beca’s apartment and made herself comfortable." Aubrey then stares at the brunette, "You wanna talk to Beca?"

Beca can see where this is going and she waves her hands in front of her as if to say no, but Aubrey hands the phone over anyway. "Hi." The redhead is beaming at her and Beca has to blink away the fog that drifts around her mind

"Hey, there."

"So, I've been thinking..." The brunette raises an eyebrow and braces herself, "Could you possibly look after Bella for me?"

The brunette grimaces and quickly responds, "Uh, I don't really know a thing about taking care of a dog."

She looks up to Aubrey for help, but the woman almost looks apologetic, "I have a business trip I couldn't get out of at my firm. I'll be gone for two weeks, so I can't actually take care of Bella myself."

"Oh" is all Beca can say.

“Bella seems to really like you, so I don’t think she’ll give you that much trouble.  The reason Bree was taking her was because I didn’t want to take her to a boarding house. I just didn’t want her to think that I-that I abandoned-“ Chloe’s crying and Beca’s eyes are widening because she can’t handle girls crying, nonetheless sweet ones like Chloe.

And she does the only thing that comes to mind to quell the redhead’s distress. “Hey, it’s fine. I can take care of Bella.” 

Chloe’s blue eyes look like they’re sparkling or something as she sniffles, “Really?”

The next minute is a blur: Beca’s reassuring the redhead, Chloe's squealing into the mic and Beca's handing the phone back to a rather relieved Aubrey.

While receiving at least a million 'thank you's' and 'I'll pay you whatever you want's' from Chloe who just looks like an overexcited puppy herself bouncing on the screen (which Beca can't get herself to even be remotely annoyed at), Aubrey brings over a leash, dog food and treats, two bowls, a toy and a circular paperweight (it's got a fancy B on it).

Aubrey scoffs when she questions the paperweight, "It's not a paperweight. It's a pitchpipe." Beca blinks and Chloe just nods eagerly. "It's a Bellas treasure given to each captain."

"Aubrey gave me hers when I got Bella." The redhead smiles, her eyes crinkling at the corner of her eyes and Beca can't help but be interested.

"Bellas? Is there more than one of her?" Beca's trying really hard to keep up.

"The Bellas are an institution." Aubrey nods with such intense pride that Beca has to clear her throat to mask the laughter bubbling up her throat.

Chloe chimes in, "No, silly. The Barden Bellas are an all-girl acapella group from our college days."

Beca's eyebrows shoot up, "Oh, right, that's a thing." She didn't mean to seem judgmental, but acapella nerd singing-- sounds like something Jesse would geek out over. She ignores the death glare she's receiving from the blonde before she asks, "But what does the pitchpipe have to do with," she points at the dog, "that Bella?"

"She likes to match pitch before going to bed."  Chloe explains as if that it's not weird at all.

Beca deadpans, "What?"

***

"I can't believe you left your dog to a stranger, Chlo."

"We're both away," Chloe yawns, "and I honestly don't trust Fat Amy or Lilly to take care of Bella."

"That's harsh coming from you." Aubrey smiles.

"Beca seems nice and we know where she lives, so it can't be as bad as you're making it, Bree."

Aubrey makes a noncommittal gesture as she zips up her suitcase, "You have her contact info, right?"

Chloe rolls her eyes. "Yes, Bree." She smiles, "Now go catch your flight."

           

The redhead stretches when Aubrey ends their call. She stares at Beca's contact info on her phone and something in her forces her to press the green button.

***

"I don't know what I got myself into, dude."

"You're making friends, Becaw. This is a good thing." Jesse sighs, "Besides, now you have a transitional friend to help make this whole moving-to-a-new-city thing easier."

"But, I don't want to have to sing to her dog. I don't even sing."

"Well, that's how you and the dog met...you were singing in the shower."

"We met when she toppled me over when I was moving in."

"Ah, you two were meant to meet that day so you could meet the owner."

"Oh my god, shut up." Beca has the urge to suddenly crumple the paper with Chloe and Aubrey's information. She instead absentmindedly rubs her thumb over the scrawled name 'Chloe Beale' before sitting down on the couch. Bella maneuvers herself so that she's an inch away from contact with Beca.

"So, the owner? Is she hot?" Beca has the urge to hang up, but all she does is exhale. Jesse just takes it as an affirmative because, as much as she’d like to deny it, Jesse knows her pretty well. "Oh, I knew it!"

She can practically hear his eyes twinkling with movie clichés playing in his head, "Dude, stop. This isn't a movie. I'm just watching her dog until her friend comes back."

"But instead of talking to her friend, she'll be talking to you whenever she needs to check up on her dog." She can hear him smiling now, "Can you just imagine, Becaw? It'll be just like Pillow Talk!"

Her phone starts buzz in her hand, and there's an unknown number that resembles the number she's holding in her hand.

"She's calling." She rolls her eyes, "You are of absolutely no help, and I'm hanging up. Later, dude."

“Pill-ow Talk” He sings before saying, "Bye, Becaw!"

She answers Chloe's call and tries to act as if she wasn't just staring at her number and wondering if she should call her. She brings the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi…Beca? This is Chloe"

"Hey Chloe."

She can practically hear the genuine smile in Chloe's voice and wonders if that smile ever leaves her face (because that would be a shame. It's a nice smile)."How's Bella?"

"She's fine, she's--" Beca pauses as the dog just climbs into her lap and makes herself comfortable, "She's in my lap."

"Aw, she really does like you."

"I don't know why, but it does seem so." Beca laughs, "Does she do this to you?"

Chloe giggles and it's one of the best sounds Beca's heard (probably ever but she won't admit that right now), "Oh, totes, I raised a cuddle monster." Chloe continues, "You don't mind, right?"

"I didn't realize it was in the fine print." Beca chuckles, "I'm not sure I have much of a say. She's fast asleep."

"Thank you so much for taking her in. I promise this is a one-time thing."

"What's in Copenhagen, then?" Beca finally decides to ask. Beca has considered it a few times since Aubrey left. She's come up with a few things like she's taking a vacation or she's secretly on the run. Or, the theory that just gets under her skin, she's got a boyfriend that lives there. Before she can start thinking up a new elaborate list, she hears Chloe's voice.

"I'm a music teacher. I've been hired by one of my student's parents to help coach her for her performance at this international competition."

Beca quirks an eyebrow, "More a Capella?"

"More like glee club."

"Oh, like _Glee_ , the singing and dancing show that was on a few years ago?"

"Yeah, kinda."

"You have a variety of interests, M'lady." Beca jokes.

"Hey, I enjoy teaching."

And Beca believes her because she sounds as patient and kind as she looks.  "I don't doubt that. Who's the kid you're coaching?" Beca can’t pinpoint why but she’s asking questions and she’s listening intently to what the redhead has to say. For the dog’s sake, she tells herself.

Chloe explains, "Well, she's not really a kid. She's like seventeen. And she goes to his private school in LA that only takes in international students."

"Is she not American?"

"No, she is, but her parents travel a lot."

"So are you going to be travelling with them too?"

"No, this is a one-time thing since it's summer." Beca nods as if she could see her, but can't really come up with anything else to say so she hopes Chloe fills in the gap, which she does, "Emily, that's my student, is really talented. I'm not really sure why they felt like they needed me to coach her."

Beca smiles, "They wanted to make sure she's the best, obviously."

"That's sweet of you to say," Chloe says, "but honestly this kid is crazy talented. She can sing and she can write songs. She still has no filter, though, but she's still fun to talk to."

"That's a rarity. Make sure to keep her close."

Chloe giggles, "She could be a Bella if she wanted to go to Barden."

"You should really rally all the Bellas to recruit her, then."

Chloe sighs and Beca doesn't really know what to expect next, "You could've been a Bella."

Beca nearly scoffs, "Dude, _no_. Have you met your best friend? She would have never let me in."

"She would've come around."

"How do you know I can even sing?"

"Well, Bella walked into your shower, right?"

The brunette eyes the dog, "Yeah…"

"She does that because I sing in the shower."

Now Beca knows where she gets the habit from and it's a little weird. "So, you jump into people's showers all the time then?"

"Only the good singers, but that hasn't happened yet."

Chloe's giggling again and Beca just has to keep hearing it, "All to get a recruit?"

"If circumstances call for it."

"You're so weird."

Chloe doesn't even sound fazed. "Thanks."

"The things you'd do for an a Capella group, huh?"

"They're not _just_ an a Capella group. They were my best friends. They were my family for four years." She pauses, "They still are."

Beca couldn't exactly relate (unless she counts Jesse and Stacie), but she smiles and listens intently anyway. She lets the redhead fill her ears with performance horror stories, favorite set lists (which Beca makes a mental note to look into), and practically every Bella tradition to boot. Her words come to life as Chloe paints every detail with energy and enthusiasm, and Beca has never enjoyed time flying by so fast.

***

Beca wakes up from her alarm going off, her phone blasting in her hand. She stretches, careful not to disturb the sleeping Cocker Spaniel hogging her blanket on the couch.

She glances at the clock. Time for work.

She doesn't recall the exact time Chloe said she needed to take off for a lesson and ended their phone conversation, but she knows it wasn't too difficult to fall asleep. She tries not to smile at the sight of the dog stretching in her lap, kicking her back paws a little to get more comfortable.  

Beca sighs, "Alright, Bella. I gotta get going."

The dog looks up at her and Beca swears she almost looks...sad? Beca quickly makes her way off the couch and to her dresser to change her clothes, quick to ignore the puppy dog eyes following her every movement. "So, that means I'm gonna go to work. And you're gonna stay here and sleep." The brunette places her hands on her hips, "Got it, Red?"

Bella blinks and lets out a huff.

Beca smiles, "Good." She makes her way to the door and before closing it behind her, she pokes her head through the door and calls out, "I'll be back in the morning."

She doesn't make it more than ten steps down the hall when she hears a faint noise coming from her apartment. It sounds like...whimpering or crying.

She wants to ignore it. She should really ignore it. Isn't it one of those things to not coddle children or pets? Beca wouldn't know, but she's also not heartless (badass exterior, be damned). So, she walks back into her apartment, grabs the blanket, grabs the leash and sets off for work with a Cocker Spaniel trotting blissfully behind her.

Bella doesn't make a single noise during the car ride or in the booth at the radio station. It takes Beca the entirety of three commercial breaks to realize that she's been duped by a Cocker Spaniel.

She eyes the sleeping dog under the desk, "Well played, you...dog." Beca couldn't even say the word 'bitch' because it's not her fault that she's a big softie and the dog picked up on it. Besides, the company doesn't hurt.

***

"You act as if you haven't slept in ages, Red." Beca yawns, slightly amused, as she shuts (and locks- no need for more four-legged house guests) the door behind her. She trudges toward the bathroom to shower, but glares at the dog on the couch, "No funny business."

She locks the bathroom door, which she finds ridiculous, but she will not stand for any more interruptions on her shower time. One time is traumatizing enough as is.

She sings Titanium in the shower again because it's just been in her head, and she really hasn't had to time to finish up that mix. She swears she can hear Bella just barking and wailing along like she owns a place in harmony. She ignores it and continues to let her voice bounce off the tile.

(Beca won't admit that the singing (or howling) is pretty good...you know...for a dog.)

When she gets out of the shower, the dog remains unmoved from her comfortable spot on the couch. Bella only lifts her head to watch Beca climb onto her bed. The moment Beca settles, Bella jumps off the couch and goes to join the brunette.

"Oh no, I don't think so." She protests, narrowing her eyes at the Cocker Spaniel, "You can sleep on the couch." Those goddamn eyes again make Beca groan out loud. "Fine. You can sleep on the bed." She grabs another blanket from under her bed and lays it on the corner of the bed. "But, this is your spot." She gets under the covers, "And this is mine. Got it?"

Bella is smart (or cheeky) enough to bark in response and Beca is so ready for bed that she merely nods in acknowledgment. And before she can even make a good enough comeback (because Beca prides herself in a badass reputation and maturity), Beca's phone starts buzzing to life. She sighs as she spots it on the couch.

She jumps out of bed more with the intention to make it stop rather than to answer it until she reads the name flashing on the screen.

_Chloe Beale_

"Hello?"

"Hey! It's Chloe."

"Hi there, Chloe." Beca can't even keep the grin off her face, tiredness suddenly dissipating from her body. Bella watches as if she knows Beca looks a little too eager and a little too happy at seven in the morning.

"It's not too early, is it? They say Denmark's supposed to be, like, 9 hours ahead? I think that means it's 8...?" Her voice trails off, realizing, "Oh, it's 7, isn't it?

"Time zones aren't your strong suit, huh?" Beca muses, settling down on the couch with Bella following suit no more than two seconds later.

"I'm surprised I ever passed geography." Chloe laughs when she hears Beca chuckling, "Oh, I'm sorry. You're probably wondering why I'm bothering you at this hour."

Beca interrupts because she already knows the question on her tongue, "Bella is fine. She's in the same spot she was in yesterday when you called."

"In your lap?" Confusion laces her voice with a slight hint of amusement that makes Beca tilt her head in endearment. "Have you two even moved?"

"We had a very eventful night."

"Is that so?"

Beca smiles, "Yeah, it was take-your-neighbor's-dog-to-work day-- err night. First night in a stranger's place, I figured I'd take her to keep her company."

"Oh, that's sweet. She really doesn't like to be left alone, which is why she was being so difficult when we first met. I was about to leave for work and she bolted. And I didn't know you work at night!" Chloe sounds like she's going to squeal and the brunette has the urge to increase the distance between her ear and her phone. "What do you do?"

"I'm a radio DJ for WBLA. I do the night queues from midnight till George's Morning Show." Beca explains and adds, "I mean, not that you know what that is."

"Of course, I know it." The woman on the line says with such certainty and exclaims, "You're the new DJ! You played Titanium your first night, which is like way better than anything that Barb played."

First, someone regularly listens to her show. Second, said someone knows David Guetta. "You know David Guetta?"

"Have I been living under a rock? Yeah, that song's my jam." Beca nods as Chloe pauses, but never in a million years would she have expected Chloe to say, "My _lady_ jam."

Beca's brain just stutters, going blank, before she just blurts, "That's nice."

"The song really builds."

Quickly trying to change the subject (because this is a weird thing to talk about with a neighbor, right?), Beca asks, "So, how is it you listen to WBLA and still get sleep?"

"Oh, I get up at 4 AM to take Bella on her morning walk because I have to be at the school by 6 o'clock." Chloe elaborates, "So, I listen to the radio. That's the only station to play anything consistently decent, even before you replaced Barb."

"Huh," is all Beca can say.

"What?"

"Small world." She hears Chloe hum in agreement as she pets the dog in her lap, who just sighs at the contact.

Beca smiles when she hears, "Totes."

***

"Make sure you're actually in bed this time, Becs." Chloe reminds her because she's caught wind of the fact that Beca and Bella have been accidentally sleeping on the couch for several days.

"I'm going, I'm going." Beca makes a noncommittal gesture with her hand as if Chloe could actually see her.

"Settled in?"

Bella is already comfortable on her designated blanket by the time the brunette gets herself under the covers. "Yep. Even Bella's ready for even more slumber."

"I can't believe she's so well-behaved. She's never like that with Aubrey. And you've barely known her for a week." Chloe giggles, "I think we're gonna be fast friends."

"Well, your dog did see me naked, so..."

She hears the redhead giggle again and listens while the other woman talks about Barden and Aubrey. Her favorite story is how Bella tried to take a sip of Aubrey's soy latte once, and Chloe swears that's when they became sworn enemies. Beca isn't too surprised and is so impressed with the dog; she gives the Cocker Spaniel a belly rub.

Chloe does have to eventually fulfill her duties as a vocal coach when Emily (who quickly says 'hi') arrives so their conversation is a little short-lived.

As Beca falls asleep, she notices that the dog is a lot closer to her than when she got on the phone with Chloe. Bella had managed to inch toward Beca little by little without her even noticing. So, she has to move the dog back to her designated area, and this cycle just repeats until Beca eventually (after 10 minutes of trying to go to sleep) gives up and Bella's curled up to her side.

She pretends it's not the most adorable thing in the world. She also makes a mental note to not ever mention it to Chloe.

She has a reputation to uphold here.

***

When Beca wakes up from her alarm, she groans at the fact that she spent so long talking to Chloe that she didn't bother to walk the 10 feet it takes to get to her bed. Bella yawns and Beca's stomach grumbles.

"If I'm hungry, you must be starving." Bella stretches, yawning one more time. The brunette waits for the dog to move to get up to go to the kitchen. "Let's see what we have."

She makes an omelette and tries to offer a piece to her house guest. Bella just goes back to eating her own food. "Seriously? What kind of dog are you? How do you not want food?"

She's only slightly offended, but enough so that she has to text Chloe about it.

<Your dog doesn't like food?>

<Maybe she doesn't like your cooking :P xoxo>

Beca smiles at the way Chloe ends her text messages, but she also can't help become defensive.

<Hey, I made a perfectly good omelette.>

<I'm sure you did. :)  Don't let her get you down. She's rather opinionated. xoxo>

<I'll say. Tough crowd.> It must be close to midnight in Denmark, so she sends one more text: <Night, Beale.>  

The reply is as clever as it is heartwarming: <Morning, Becs xoxo>

The brunette finishes her food with a smile on her face, and she wonders exactly how she's been smiling so much as of late.

It's starting to become a thing

***

"Aw, Becaw, she's adorable." Jesse coos as Beca shifts her laptop to the Cocker Spaniel curled up to her thigh. "How do you resist the urge to just keep her?"

Beca shrugs, "I mean, she's alright." She really is if Beca's going to be honest. The dog is the farthest thing from being a pain-in-the-ass as one would expect. "She literally just follows me around and sleeps."

"Match-made in heaven."

"But I think Chloe would literally cry a river if I didn't return her." She winces at the memory of Chloe Beale bursting into tears at the thought of her dog thinking she’s abandoned her.

The brunette absentmindedly plays with Bella's ears as Jesse goes on, "Made any moves on the owner, yet?"

"What? Dude, no!"

"Why not? You're practically besties with her dog, which isn't a feat for her own BFF, so you're a shoe-in."

"Seriously?! I'm literally just taking care of her dog." Jesse gives her a look, raising his eyebrows like he doesn't quite believe her. "Dude, I'm being serious!"

"So am I!"

"Dude, we're so not talking about this."

Jesse's eyes narrow, "You have a crush on her, don't you?"

Beca averts her gaze, "No?"

"Beca."

"Maybe? I don't know, okay? It's probably nothing."

"You've always been one for denial." Jesse sighs, "I'm gonna have to call in the big guns."

Her eyes grow wide when she realizes what he just said, "Jesse, _no_." And before she can even stop him, he's ended their Skype session and signed off.

Bella licks her hand, so she pets her again, her hand on the warmth of the dog's neck for a few moments. Beca shakes her head. She needs air, so she looks down at Bella, "Wanna go for a walk?"

The brunette is half hoping Bella would just go back to sleeping, but the dog jumps up (ears up, tail wagging and everything) and trots over to the door. And by the time Beca's up off the couch, Bella is already holding her leash between her teeth.

"You're something else, you know that, Red?"

She clips on the leash and they're on their way to even more bonding time together-- not that Beca's looking forward to it or anything.

***

Chloe finally convinces her to Skype with her after she mentions in passing that she had a conversation via Skype with her best friend the day before.

She soon realizes it was a mistake to have agreed because now she's painfully aware of how her face looks when Chloe's speaking.

(Jesse would finally believe she isn't a robot and she shudders at the thought. Then they'd have to talk about feelings.)

"See? Isn't this better? It's like we're actually having a conversation." Chloe giggles, "Face to face."

Beca tries not to smile. The redhead's enthusiasm for the tiniest things and the way her eyes light up when she explains Skype like she's working for Microsoft's marketing department should not be that endearing. (But it is. Very endearing, at that). "I can't believe you actually have a strong enough wifi signal at your place."

There's a smile when she explains, "The hotel provides their guests with the best lodging"

"Uh huh." Beca doesn't even try to hide her skepticism.

Chloe shrugs, "Alright, so I bugged one of the staff for the employee wifi password." She winks, "It's much faster."

"Some resort they placed you, then." Beca laughs, "Especially with such weak employees. Can't even resist a pretty lady at the request of the wifi password."

"Oh, please, like you could resist all this."

There's a look in her striking blue eyes that makes Beca freeze up. She swears that Bella looks at her almost smug before the dog proceeds to bark at the sound of a knock on the door. She apologizes, although grateful for any kind of interruption, "Sorry, someone's at the door. Give me a sec."

She answers the door and tries to calm the panic slowly rising in her chest. Who she finds at the door makes the panic spike again.

"Stacie?!"

"Hey there, Beca." She pushes past Beca to enter the apartment all the while explaining, "I got a Code Red from Jesse, so I thought I'd drop by after work and assess."

"No. No codes, please." Beca groans, following her tall friend, "Stace, not that I'm not happy to see you, but-"

Stacie squeals when Bella greets her, "When did you get a dog? And how is it even more adorable than you?"

"I didn't get a dog and I'm not adorable." Beca mumbles and spots her laptop. "Oh, shit. Chloe."

"Is that her name?" Stacie picks up the dog, who seems equally as excited to see the tall brunette.

"No, that's not Chloe." The smaller woman says as she faces the camera again, sending the redhead an apologetic smile for her disruptive best friend.

Stacie looks around a little confused. "Well, then, who's Chloe? And uh, who's this?"

"That would be me!" The redhead's voice sounds through Beca's speakers. "And that's Bella."

Stacie places the dog on the floor and Beca just wants to disappear from existence. "Hi, I'm Stacie. Beca's sister from another mister." The taller woman ruffles Beca's messy hair, which shorter woman tries to duck away from. There's a smirk on Stacie's face that makes Beca want to hide under the table with Bella, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that I was interrupting something."

Beca's frozen in place as she watches the two interact, her tall friend sitting down in front of her laptop (probably to get a better view of Chloe) and Chloe being her usual friendly self (can't fault her for that).

"No worries. I was just checking in on Bella and making sure she was taking care of Beca alright." Chloe's giggling and Beca's trying to keep her face neutral. Stacie simply glances between Chloe on the screen and Beca next to her.

"Ha ha. Very funny." Beca says dryly, but failing to keep the smile from her face anyway. "Sorry, Chlo, I'm gonna have to cut this conversation short. Stacie apparently has pressing matters to discuss."

Chloe nods, "Alright. Well, good luck with Code Red."

Beca coughs at the irony, "Night, Beale."

"Morning, Becs." She smiles at their inside joke and revels in Chloe's beaming smile for about half a second before closing her laptop.

"Jesse was right. This IS like Code Inferno." Stacie's already up and pacing, and Beca’s starting to feel rather uncomfortable. "It's okay. I can deal with this. We can figure something out."

"Whoa there, Stace." She sits next to Bella, whose warmth is comforting when her best friend is not helping at all, "What are we figuring out?"

"You and Chloe."

Beca rubs her face with the palm of her hand, "What about me and Chloe?"

Stacie gives her a look. There's endearment mixed with all-knowing eyebrow quirk, but it's eclipsed such a smug grin that Beca just glares at her. Hard. "You are so stubborn sometimes that you're just completely oblivious."

Beca huffs and crosses her arms, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're into her."

"I'm not."

The tall woman claps her hands, "And what's even better is that she's into you."

"No one's into each other, okay!" She doesn't mean to sound shrill but she can't have this conversation on a daily basis with her two best friends as they take turns pushing her buttons.

"Well, you should really get _in_ because that girl is _hot_." Stacie states simply, placing an emphasis on the 't'. Beca opens her mouth to reply but is cut off by her friend, "And don't even think about saying that you're just taking care of her dog because Jesse told me you'd say that. You and Miss Red might as well just move in together and ride off into a rainbow sunset with your adorable puppy." Bella barks, but Beca can't distinguish it from an agreeing bark or counter bark. Stacie doesn't miss a beat, "Jesse's words, not mine." She smirks, "Besides, I totally walked in on something. The girl had flirty eyes on."

"Dude!" Beca must be scarlet red because it literally just encourages Stacie to keep going.

"It's true. I would know. I use them all the time. And with the intensity of her eyes? If she asked, I would have hopped on a plane to Denmark in a heartbeat to tap that." Stacie says all of this with such nonchalance that Beca wants to scream.

"Stacie, please just stop." The brunette pinches the bridge of her nose and tries to glare at her friend, but she's even too frustrated to even look at the brunette.

Stacie's fanning herself, "I have to go figure out what to do with all this sexual tension and probable eye fucking.” She mutters as she walks toward the door, “Need to find someone to get under."

"Stace?"

The brunette's heels click against Beca's floor as she walks out. "It's okay. We'll keep in touch." And before she closes the door behind her, "You'll be in her pants in no time."

"I don't-" The door shuts and the rest comes out in a mumble, "need to get in her pants." Bella huffs at her feet, tail wagging and eyes hopeful, "Oh, not you too." She throws her hands into the air, "All this is your fault, by the way."

She spends the rest of the day and night mixing songs. And she refuses to admit to Bella (who's been giving her curious looks the entire time) that these songs sound a lot like the ones that Chloe's mentioned once (or twice).

Beca doesn't keep track of those things.

***

Beca can't remember the last time she went on a complete mixing spree. She usually isolates for days when she gets into one of her mixing moods and ignores literally everything in her life, but this time it's a little different. It's usually a nagging feeling, something just eats at her until she's finally done. Instead, it's more like a fire lit under her that warms her toes all the way up to her chest that just keeps her going- keeps her ideas sounding less like discord and more like righteous harmonies.

This is nothing like her college days.

And even more so, now she has a job (and a dog- to take care of temporarily, that is), but that really just means she takes her laptop (and the red-haired dog) to work so she can mix while she's simultaneously queuing music and commercials.  She's honestly never found herself so productive. Even Bella, who sits or sleeps at her feet while she's tinkering with radio buttons on her mixing software, looks proud of her.

She sets a million alarms on her phone that remind her to walk and feed Bella for various times during the day. She hasn't missed a single alarm, much to her own surprise. In return, Beca plays her mixes out loud for Bella (because Beca honestly can't be bothered with the matching pitch nonsense). Bella is apparently very vocal about her approval.

When Chloe's name appears on her screen, she maneuvers a few keystrokes meant to save her current progress on her mix but Chloe's face appears on screen instead (all smiles, all warmth, and all blue). It makes her smile in a way that she never knew possible until she realizes her mix is still playing and she's cringing at the thought that someone's listening to her work-- her unfinished work.

"Hey, Becs." Chloe's beaming at her like she always does and Beca's pretending that her chest isn't just welling up like it always does. The redhead tilts her head, noticing the music flowing through the speakers, "I've never heard this mix before. It's really good."

"It's um," Beca drops her voice to a mumble that Chloe literally has to lean in to listen to her, turning it off quickly, "like, something I've been working on. It's not really done, yet."

"You made that? It sounds so good!" She says it with such genuine earnest that Beca actually wants to believe her.

"Thanks." Beca hopes that the shit lighting at her desk is enough to hide the blush on her cheeks.

"I didn't know you did this stuff. But I mean, I guess I should have known...you being a DJ and all." Chloe laughs lightly, "That was Titanium and Bulletproof, right?"

"Yeah…It's different from what I'm allowed to play at the station." The brunette shrugs, "You're kind of one of very few people who have heard anything I've done. You and Bella."

"Oh and Emily!" Another voice says as a flash of hair appears on the screen, much to Beca's chagrin. "Hi, I'm Emily!" The girl says with so much enthusiasm that Beca's afraid she might just burst into a fountain of youth or something, "That was _way_ awesome!"

"Thanks." Beca mumbles before listening to Emily ramble on and on about her upcoming performance and how wonderful Chloe is (not that she minds this particularly). She finds herself looking over to Chloe, who is as engulfed in Emily's words as the girl is spewing them out and even encourages the girl in a way that only Chloe is capable.

Before Beca can process something about "syncopated booty shake" Emily's zooming around to grab her stuff. "It was lovely to meet you finally, Beca. Chloe has told me so much about you.” She quirks an eyebrow, which goes unnoticed by the redhead. “But I gotta go. My chauffer's here. "

She smiles because she’s way more animated than anything Beca would have expected. "Nice to meet you too, kid." She waits for Chloe to return to the computer before she asks, "So, how rich is she?"

"Loaded."

Beca laughs, "She's something else. A little green around the edges."

"As opposed to grumpy like yourself?" Chloe challenges, a playfulness to her voice.

The brunette crosses her arms, "I'm not grumpy."

"Whatever you say, Grumpy Gills." Chloe winks and, god, does it do things to Beca's poor heart, "I could see you being a star DJ everyone wants to see one day."

"Including you?" The words leave Beca's mouth before she can stop them.

Unfazed, Chloe responds with such eagerness and certainty, "Of course!" Beca watches as the redhead's face falls slightly when she asks, biting her lip, "Do you not want me there?"

"It's not- no, not that- I" Chloe raises her eyebrows, obviously amused at Beca who's a stuttering mess right now. The brunette takes a deep breath and admits, "It'd be great if you were there."

"Then it's settled!" Chloe beams and then jumps right to the next subject at hand, "Will I ever get to hear the rest of your mix? I never thought you could put those songs together."

Beca smiles as genuinely as she's ever smiled in her life, "One day, Beale."

"Really?"

It's a promise she's never been willing to make before, but Chloe looks so interested and she's terrified because she's not used to people being interested. "The moment it's done."

"Yes!" Chloe claps her hands and continues, "I bet Bella loved it." She stops abruptly, a sad smile forming on her features that Beca picks up on.

Beca doesn't really know how to approach the apparent sadness, and she's surely never cared before when someone's gone from beaming to barely lit up in a matter of seconds. But she asks anyways, because Chloe's smile not reaching her eyes should be a crime, "What's the matter?"

"I meant it, you know."

Beca's a little confused but she goes along with it, "Meant what?"

"You being a Bella. You would've made our dreams into a reality."

"I think you put far too much faith in me, Chlo." Beca's mumbling, her eyes focused on anywhere else but the camera because she's still not used to taking compliments (especially from girls who are sweet and beautiful like Chloe).

"I think you're aca-awesome, Becs."

Just like that, Beca's wearing a stupid grin, "Aca-awesome? Is that another one of those paperweight things?"

"A Capella. Yes." Chloe giggles, "Don't let Aubrey hear you calling her pitch pipe a paperweight again. You might get your vocal cords ripped out by wolves or she might make you go to a retreat."

Beca rolls her eyes as the redhead continues to giggle, "That's probably why your dog hates her."

"They don't hate each other." Chloe chastises, but her voice goes up in a squeak, "Oh, how's Bella?"

The brunette picks up her laptop to angle the camera to the dog, all wrapped up in a blanket, at her feet. "She's always close."

"She literally just lays there while you work?" Her ears perk up at the sound of Chloe's voice directed at her. "That's sweet."

"Yeah, but it looks like she misses you."

"I miss you, too, Bella. Mommy will be home in less than two weeks."

Beca replaces the laptop on the desk again, "Really?" It's sooner than she expected and the thought makes her palms a little sweaty.

"Don't sound so excited, Becs." Chloe says dryly, sticking out her tongue when Beca looks at the camera. "Besides, you're soon gonna be a lucky owner of one of these babies." She holds up what look to be random trinkets that Beca assumes Chloe must have bought on her escapades in Copenhagen tourist shops.

"Is that a magnet in the shape of a Danish?"

"Yeah," Chloe waggles her eyebrows, "You like? Want first dibs?"

Beca deadpans, "A pastry magnet. Lovely."

Chloe laughs and excitedly tells Beca how she discovered all her tourist shop findings with Emily. When Beca realizes she's not going to be mixing for a while, she grabs her laptop and makes herself comfortable on the couch.

Bella's not too far behind her, cuddling up to her leg shortly after she brunette settles in.

When Chloe's ready to sign off,  the redhead’s words going a mile a minute now, Beca’s  smiling at her with something even she herself can't place. But it's nice and it's warm…and Beca can't get herself to stop. It's so apparent that Chloe abruptly stops and questions her about it, "what?"

Beca opens her mouth, ready to say a million things, but she pauses instead as she takes in the color of Chloe's eyes (yes, even through the crappy camera quality), "You know you're pretty awesome yourself, Chlo."

"Aca-awesome?"

Beca rolls her eyes, "Yes, aca-awesome."

"You think so?" Chloe's eyes are lighting up like stars illuminating the sky.

All Beca can do is smile back, "I swear by the stupid paperweight." Chloe giggles, and her heart skips a beat, "Night, Beale."

"Morning, Becs."

She sits there for a  moment when she closes her laptop, the warmth of her laptop and the warmth of Bella curled up to her leg can’t even match the way her heart grows a few sizes in her chest. At the thought of Chloe and Bella, Beca smiles to herself.

It's starting to become a thing.

***

Beca slowly starts to realize that she doesn't want the thing (whatever that entails) to end-- maybe not so soon, at least.

And it doesn't really become majorly apparent until Aubrey comes to visit, ready to take her dreaded dog-sitter duties back.

Aubrey sits on her couch with Bella, who not so much even bats an eyelash at the blonde. "Come on, Bella. We'll be spending lots of time together before Mommy gets back."

Bella looks away and Aubrey looks to Beca.

"Uh, you know, I can continue to take care of her if you'd like. Chloe tells me it's only like a week and a half until she comes back." Beca offers, scratching the back of her head. She's beginning to have a sneaking suspicion that she's less taking pity on the blonde but more dreading separation from Bella. (Or is it Chloe, or, worse, both?)

"Wait, you've spoken to Chloe?"

"Oh yeah," Beca pretends it's totally a thing that neighbors-turned-friends do all the time. "She checks in on Bella every morning or so." She adds the "or so" part to make it seem less like it's a routine and more like Chloe cares for her dog a lot (which Beca knows is true without any doubt, but she need not be a part of that conversation).

Aubrey asks, "Does she?" with an expression that Beca can't understand. And it makes her feel the slightest bit uneasy- for reasons she can't (or won't) place.

"Yeah, here let me see if she's busy."  Beca's eyes are glued to her phone so she doesn't catch the way Aubrey looks at her curiously.

<Hey, Beale. Need confirmation on something. Can you follow up with your sunshine of a best friend?>

<Play nice. What's up? xoxo>

<Now that Aubrey's back, where's Bella gonna stay?>

Beca kind of sucks in a breath. What if Chloe tells her to give Bella to Aubrey? She shakes her head slightly because why should that even matter? It's Chloe's dog and she has every right to say who Bella can stay with. And eventually Chloe's going to come back and there'll be less interaction between both Bella and Chloe. Her heart leaps at the notification on her screen.

<Oh, right. I forgot...>

The brunette cracks a smile and quickly types her response.

<Forgot about your bestie? Don't worry, I won't tell her. :P>

<Do you mind keeping Bella?> There's a two second pause before another message comes through. <It's okay if you don't want to. I wouldn't want to impose on your hospitality. xoxo>

<Not imposing. Bella and I are homies now.8-)>

<Homies? Beca Mitchell, do not corrupt my dog. xoxo>

<Too late.>

Beca's grinning from ear to ear when the sound of Aubrey clearing her throat snaps her out of her reverie. "Oh, um, she says it's cool if Bella stays here."

"Alright, well, if something goes wrong, feel free to call me." The blonde straightens her back and nods to Bella, "Bye, Bella." She throws a forced smile in Beca's direction and walks out.

Beca looks at the dog on her couch, "That wasn't weird, was it?"

Bella yawns and repositions herself on the couch, leaving room for the brunette.

Shrugging, she joins the dog on the couch, "My thoughts exactly, Red."

***

"Hey, Bree." Chloe's cheerful greeting comes in before her face appears on Aubrey's laptop.

Aubrey smiles, "Hey. How's Denmark?"

"It's fine. How was Boston?"

"Busy. And loud." Aubrey lets out a long sigh, preparing herself for the topic she's going to bring up. She just hopes the redhead won't be too difficult., "I visited Beca today, and Bella seems to get along really well with her."

"Yeah, they're really adorable together, aren't they?" Chloe gushes, her eyes lighting up and her smile spreading across her face.

Aubrey rolls her eyes, "If you could call the tiny alt girl adorable, sure."

"She's really not bad, Bree. A little grumpy on the outside, but once you get to know her she's absolutely wonderful." Chloe explains, like she's known Beca for a lifetime.

"Why didn't you tell me you were talking to Beca?"

"We talk. It's no big deal." The redhead shrugs like it's nothing....even though Aubrey knows it's something.

And Aubrey kind of fumes because she should know when her friend is talking to someone on the regular. Her eyes narrow at the redhead before she accuses her, "You like her."

A coy smile plays on the redhead's lips, "I'm not gonna dignify that with an answer."

Aubrey smirks. That's all the answer she needs. She knows this indignant, stubborn Chloe. It's the same Chloe that's fallen for guys and girls alike when they went to Barden, except at the same time she's a little less overcompensating and more comfortable than Chloe’s college conquests. And it makes her wonder if it has to do with a certain Beca Mitchell. She finally settles on a reply, "I can see your toner through your jeans."

The redhead, in her usual unapologetic manner, sticks her tongue out at her best friend.

***

Jesse complains that he hasn't heard from his best friend in the whole world for days. Beca explains that she's been busy and he doesn't sound convinced.

"You're mixing again, aren't you?"

"Jesse."

"Holy shit, you are. Okay, who do I need to call at the station to help you get your job back?" She hears rustling from Jesse's end before his voice becomes clear, "I need to call Stacie. Is your boss a dude or a chick? If it's a dude, of course we send Stacie. Otherwise, we're gonna need one of Stacie's model dudes."

"Jesse!" Bella, who's taking a nap next to the brunette, almost jumps at sound of her yelling into her phone. She pets the dog apologetically. Bella just snuggles closer to her.

"Beca, can't you see I'm trying to get your job back for you?"

She rolls her eyes, and says firmly, "Dude. I still have my job."

He doesn't seem to hear her, "If that doesn't work--" Then he stutters, probably processing what she just said, "You do?!"

"Yeah, I had a shift last night."

"Oh."

"Yeah. _Oh_." She laughs and then sighs, "Nice to know the faith you have in me, Jesse. Some best friend you are."

"Sorry, Becaw." He genuinely sounds guilty. "I just thought it was like college. You used to disappear on us for days and then we'd hear you missed your midterm or something..." He trails off, realizing he wasn't helping his case.

Beca nods as if he could see her. "It's not like that. I don't know...I just..." she looks down at the Cocker Spaniel next to her, "I guess I feel inspired."

"That's good, Becaw. I'm happy for you." He pauses, "Do I get to hear any of them?"

"Not on your life, dude." He groans and she laughs, "Now that's settled. Can you stop sending Stacie over? She always comes by when I'm talking to Chloe."

"Should I tell her to stop cock-blocking the badass Beca Mitchell?" Her eyes narrow and she fights the urge to hang up. "Don't hang up on me, Mitchell. What's the deal with you and Miss Chloe?"

"Nothing." She doesn't like the implication of this, "there's no deal whatsoever. We're neighbor-friends and I happen to be taking care of her dog."

"And you also talk to her and text her on the daily." He chuckles and she cringes, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you two were a couple."

"I swear to God, if you say anything about me riding off into rainbows and sappy shit, I'm never talking to you again."

"Alright, I'll stop." She can hear the grin forming on his face. In fact, she can see his shit-eating grin painted so annoyingly perfect in her mind. Before she can force him into a blood oath, he chuckles, "I can't make any promises for Stace, though."

She rubs her hand over her face, and Bella barks and wags her tail.

She glares at the dog, "You're not helping."

***

Chloe's name appears as she's editing her current mix of Titanium and Clarity. This time she's more prepared to save and pause her work. She clicks the green button with confidence and assurance her mixing won't be revealed this time around.

"Hey, Becs." The redhead's already beaming at her and she refuses to acknowledge that her heart may have just rattled in her chest.

"Hi, Chlo." She smiles, "Wanna say hi to Bella?" Chloe nods with a wide smile and Beca picks up the dog to sit in her lap.

When Bella barks, Chloe greets her, "Hey there, baby girl. Have you been a good girl?"

Several exchanges and barking later (as Beca watches with an amused tilt of her head), Bella gets a little too excited and her paw slams against her trackpad. Her screen goes haywire for a second and, very much to Beca's horror, she realizes that the dog managed to accidentally share her screen with the redhead.

"Becs, what is this?" She's doing that thing with her voice where it escalates with her excitement, "Is this new?! Can I listen to it please?"

Beca wants to say no because she's barely finished it and she's not sure it's good enough for anyone's ears-- especially Chloe's-- to listen just yet. She's preparing herself to say no, but she notices Chloe's slight pout and her stupid puppy dog eyes. She exhales sharply. "Fine."

Titanium and Clarity weave between each other and Chloe's praising how perfect it all sounds. Beca's fighting the color on her cheeks and Bella thinks she's helping reduce the color by licking her face.

"Thanks, Beca." Chloe flashes a smile that Beca's never really seen before. It's not blinding or anything Beca's used to. It's filled with something so intense and warm that Beca is left breathless, her heart doing flips in her stomach.

Beca straightens the look on her face and raises an eyebrow, her fingers running through copper fur, "For what?"

"I remember you said you didn't really show your stuff to people." Chloe explains, her voice smaller than usual, "So, thanks. For trusting me with them." Then she smiles with the strength of a million watts.

"Oh." She chuckles nervously and just stares at the redhead on the screen. She clears her throat when she becomes fully aware she's just staring at Chloe's eyes. "You just have the best timing and I have the worst luck." Chloe rolls her eyes, "But I don't think I'd have it any other way." She almost regrets admitting that, but she's going to have to play it off like it's nothing, like it's something she says all the time.

The redhead looks like she's about to say something, opening her mouth, but nothing comes out. Until finally, Chloe says, "I'll let you go. I have to prepare for Em's rehearsal thing."

Beca's not really used to such an abrupt ending to their conversation, not from the older woman. But, she can't expect her to be free to talk to her all the time (can she?). "Good luck?"

"Thanks." The redhead gives her a smile that reaches the crinkles at the corner of her eyes, so she's not too concerned she said something wrong, but if Beca's astute enough, she'd realize something feels off.

She waves (albeit awkwardly) and waits for Chloe end the call.

"Wonder what that was about?"

All she gets in reply is a soft woof from Bella. Of course, she doesn’t know either.

***

"Okay, just say it." Chloe groans, slamming her forehead down on her forearm. She lifts her head to gaze at the camera.

Aubrey has the nerve to look amused, "What?"

Emily pushes her way into the camera's point of view, "That she's in love with Beca."

"Emily!"

"Is that so, Chloe?" Aubrey asks, clearly satisfied with what the girl is sharing. "You never said anything."

"She didn't need to! Aubrey, you should see the way they talk to each other on Skype! I totally thought they were a thing, but Chloe told me the next day that they weren't. I was totes disappointed." And she does look disappointed, her eyes averted down.

"Okay, that's enough coffee for you, Em." Chloe suddenly announces, trying to stop the word vomit evident on the brunette's features.

"Sorry," The girl mumbles as she looks down at her hands.

"It's fine," Aubrey forces a smile, like she does when she needs to rally the Bellas, "just turn that down a notch. We don't need you scaring away tiny alt girl with your…enthusiasm."

Emily salutes, sitting up straight and keeping a tightlipped smile.

"She's just excited, Bree." Chloe sighs a little defeated while Emily nods eagerly, "But go ahead and say 'I told you so'"

"I'll spare you the boasting." Aubrey says, sighing and knowing exactly what this is all about, "You look miserable. Have you spoken to her today?"

"I talked to her yesterday."

"But not today?" Aubrey smiles into her mug, taking a sip before muttering, "She must be worried sick."

"Bree." Chloe whines, pouting and crossing her arms.

"Chloe, come on, you check up on your dog on a daily basis. She's going to be suspicious if you suddenly start skipping days. Then what are you going to tell her?"

"But what if she doesn't really care or notice?"

"Chlo, trust me. She'll notice."

"What makes you think that?"

"Just look at the last three weeks." Aubrey rolls her eyes, "She might not even like dogs, but she weirdly gets along with yours. She might have too many ear monstrosities and has more sarcasm than blood running through those twigs she calls arms, but, Chloe, she sits on the phone with you while you ask about your dog or talk about your day or talk about whatever it is that crosses Chloe Beale's mind. And I know you…you don't stay on one topic for very long. And the fact that she maintains the conversation until you cut it off…well, enough said."

Emily's suddenly bouncing next to Chloe. Before Aubrey can continue to say anything, Emily's squealing, "O-m-aca-g! She's texting you! I think she misses you!"

Chloe looks down to her phone and, sure enough, sees a message from Beca:

< Hope you're kicking ass coaching the kid. Work kicked mine, so I may or may not be knocked out pretty soon. Oh and Bella says hi. > She's about to respond when she sees another one. <Night, Beale.>

Chloe chastises, "Em, sit still!"

"Okay, sorry." Emily leans over the redhead's shoulder to watch read the text message. "She's totally thinking about you!"

"Em!" This time it's Aubrey who says it, and the teenager is immediately in sitting in silence.

<Emily says hi.> Emily nudges her to text something else. She shakes her head, and types up real quick: <Morning, Becs. xoxo>

"You guys are so cute." And she quickly continues, "I know you guys aren't together, but you totally should be."

Chloe smiles sadly at the girl, "That's sweet, Em."

"So, how are you gonna do it?" Both Chloe and Aubrey give the girl a confused look. She elaborates, "You know, how are you gonna get the girl?"

Chloe gets this intense look in her eyes that scare Emily a little bit and makes Aubrey feel like a proud mama bear: Chloe Beale's got a plan. "I'm gonna need your help, Em."

***

"What do you say, Red? Let's clean this place up a bit." Bella blinks at her from the couch. Beca rolls her eyes and places her hands on her hips, "Fine. I'll clean this place up. And you can sit there like the princess you are."

Bella wags her tail and barks. Beca's never really seen her that happy before, but she won't question it. She begins to sweep up the kitchen, put away the dishes, and make her bed before finally grabbing the vacuum. But the moment she pulls the vacuum out of the closet, Bella jumps off the couch in a frenzy to get under the bed.

Beca sighs, "Seriously, dude? I'm just gonna vacuum. It's no big deal."

The brunette finishes up vacuuming and hears crying under the bed when she finally turns it off. She quickly stores the vacuum out of sight before going over to check on the dog. She lies on her stomach and lifts the bed covers a bit so she can get a better look. "Hey Bella,"  Beca tries to coax her out, but the Cocker Spaniel is literally shaking. "Hey, it's okay. Come on." Bella makes a small effort to shuffle forward, only to stop when her snout touches Beca's arm. "I'm sorry, dude. I didn't know it was a big deal. I won't do that anymore, okay?" Bella licks her face. "Alright, alright. Hey, I know what you need. You wanna call Chloe?" The dogs ears perk up and she curls up against Beca.

She stands up and grabs her laptop, settling on the bed and watching as Bella gingerly surveys the rest of the apartment. She logs into Skype and waits for Bella to join her. She calls Chloe, who's online, and waits for the redhead to answer.

But she doesn't answer.

And Bella looks legitimately disappointed, so Beca tries to text her instead. <Hey, Beale. Your dog's deathly afraid of vacuums? She had a bit of a moment. Think you can get on Skype for a bit? She'd love to see you.>

Bella whimpers and all Beca can do is let her stay in her lap. "She must be working, Red."

<Let us know when you're free.>

***

"Dude, can dogs get depression?"

"I don't know, Beca." Stacie looks at the Cocker Spaniel who hasn't moved an inch for as long as she's been there. And it's been a few hours.  "Maybe she's tired?"

"We've just been hanging out all day."

"Well, when's the last time you spoke to Chloe?"

Beca glares at her friend, "Oh, no, we're not going in that direction. This is about the dog, not me."

Stacie rolls her eyes, "Look, I'm just saying that perhaps there's tension that she, " she says as she gestures to the dog, "can pick up on."

"Oh my god, we're not a couple. There is literally no tension."

"Well, you should totally fix that, sexual or otherwise." She grimaces when Stacie gives her a pointed look, "How long?"

"Two days."

Bella whimpers a little bit before curling up to Beca's side, "I know, Red. I miss her, too." Beca sighs as she explains, "Bella had an episode with the vacuum. I tried to get a hold of Chloe, but she hasn't called back or anything."

Stacie steals the phone from Beca's hand and snaps quick photo and before Beca can do anything about it, the tall brunette says, "There. Now she knows you two miss her and are acting like mopey killjoys."

"Stacie! Seriously?!" Beca glances at the dog, who just barks softly-- clearly indifferent to her panic.

"Wow, she replies fast." Stacie chuckles, handing the phone back to Beca.

<Aw, I miss you guys, too. Glad to see you're still bonding! xoxo> Beca doesn't know how to respond, but Chloe sends another message: <Sorry I haven't been in touch. I've been a bit busy. Talk to you soon. xoxo>

"Why do I still get the vibe that she's blowing me off?" She glares at Stacie, who she can tell has an innuendo on the tip of her tongue, "Don't even think it."

"You thought of it first." Stacie raises her hands in innocent surrender, "Fix the sexual tension is all I'm saying."

Beca groans and throws a pillow at her friend, who just laughs at her.

***

Chloe's preparing to return to the states, and Beca misses her in a way she shouldn't. She had known this wouldn't be permanent, but little did she expect that she would actually become friends with a dog and its master. Actual friends. People (and a dog) that she would want to hang out with (put up with) aside from Jesse and Stacie.

That kind of thing is rare for Beca Mitchell. So this feeling of missing someone she's only talked to a million times in the past month is absolutely foreign to her. Because that's just it…she's only known her for a month, not the lifetime she feels it is. But as Chloe's arrival date draws closer, the more she starts to wonder if perhaps she can make it permanent.

But she panics every time she entertains the thought of permanence, the idea of lives intertwining. It would be like beats overlaying a melody in a mix, a cacophony of chaos that actually works. But what if it doesn't work? What if the pitch is off? The melody too overwhelming? What if Chloe isn't so impressed with her reclusive lifestyle (which her friends attempt to drag her out of every few days)? What if Chloe, as a friend, gets tired of needing to shove her out of her comfort space? After all, she'll have to go back to not having a four-legged companion or someone to talk to on the phone.

She never thought she'd listen to someone ramble about everything and nothing at once; how Chloe got that scar on her forehead that becomes more apparent when she's flustered; how Chloe still loves to sing even though her range was limited from vocal nodule removal surgery; how Chloe promises that they'll hang out with Bella (all the time, she promises with a goofy grin) even though her schedule as music teacher would barely permit.  She also never found herself hanging onto every word a person has said before. Even when Chloe talks about things in more depth, she can't get herself to stop drinking it all in.

She even catches herself giving far more detail than she's used to; what mixes she's working on; what goes on at the studio at 3 AM; what she has for breakfast; what she saw on her walk with Bella. What's worse is that Chloe listens with eagerness and genuine interest that Beca wants more to talk about.

As the days count down, she realizes she'll be once again left to thrive with the solitude she's been used to. And for the first time in her life, she's not sure that's what she wants. What she wants and what she needs- all she can think is a warm smile and a pair of piercing blue eyes.

If she didn't know any better, she would say she's in love with Chloe Beale.

***

It's not until Stacie snaps her fingers at her that she realizes that the Cocker Spaniel in the bathtub is near dry.  Bella gets one more once over with the towel before Beca lifts her out of the bathtub. Bella shakes herself off and circles the two women in a quick run, exhilarated in her cleanliness.  Her fur makes her look puffy and Beca absentmindedly pets her and scratches behind the ear before watching her zoom off again.

"You're being mopey." Stacie makes a comment, not removing her eyes from her cuticles. "At least the dog's lightened up."

"Am not." Beca crosses her arms over chest, feeling the need to protect herself from the way Stacie just knows she's brooding. "I'm fine."

Her friend completely ignores her and states, "Well, soon enough, Code Red Inferno will be in progress and you’ll be in her pants in no time. Beats how mopey you’re being anyway."

"Stace, I don't want to get in her pants."

The taller woman sighs, "Okay…" She tries again, "what if it's not just her pants you wanna get into?"

"Can we please stop talking about her pants?"

"Skirt?" Stacie waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh my god, Stacie!" She tosses a throw pillow at her friend when she rounds the couch, "Get to the point."

"Alright, alright." Stacie lets out a sigh and warm smile, "You're so into her you don't even realize it. Or if you do, you're doing that stupid thing where you ignore it until it all blows up in your face."

"It's not stupid…"

"Then admit it." Stacie's challenging her and she sits there unsure of whether to take the bait.

But then she releases the breath she's been holding, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Let me know when you two are done being a married couple."

"We're not a married couple for Christ's sake."

"Then why do you have a Chloe Mix #45 folder on your desktop."

"Stacie! What are you doing on my laptop?" Beca's eyes widen when the mix starts playing on her laptop…at the loudest volume.  "Stacie, turn that down! Someone's going to hear!"

Surely enough, there's a knock on the door and Beca glares at her friend, who still refuses to turn down the music. Bella beats them to the door, her tail wagging enthusiastically. Beca clears her throat, flips off her friend and walks over to the door to answer it.  When she opens the door, she can't quite believe her eyes.

"Hi."

Bella's jumping up and down unable to contain her enthusiasm and Beca's frozen in place unable to comprehend that Chloe Beale is at her front door. And before she knows it, she's engulfed in a hug that feels like it could take her to another planet in the galaxy. Just as soon as it began, Chloe's embrace loosens and she's shooting Beca a blinding smile.

Then, she's on greeting Bella who really can't keep still as she's wriggling around trying to take in Chloe all at once. "Hey you. Who's a good girl? Did you miss me?" That only serves to make Bella even crazier, but Beca doesn't mind. She's got a stupid grin on her face and she doesn't really care who sees.

It's not until Chloe snaps her head up that she notices the music playing. "Is this supposed to be Just the Way You Are and Just A Dream?"

"Uh, yeah." Beca clears her throat, "It's not ready yet."

She walks over to Beca's laptop and greets Stacie, "Hi! Nice to meet you in person finally."

"Me too. Beca tells me a lot about you."

Chloe throws a curious glance in Beca's direction. "All good I hope."

"Always." Beca smiles and Bella barks in agreement.

Chloe stays quiet to listen to the mix that Stacie refuses to turn off, "No lyrics, yet?"

"Uh, yeah."

Stacie walks over to Beca and shoves her in Chloe's direction. Chloe laughs, without removing her eyes from the screen, "Is that the only thing you know how to say today?"

"I just can't believe you're here." Beca snaps out of her trance, "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't supposed to be here for another few days."

Chloe shrugs while Beca glances back to Stacie, "I guess I couldn't wait to come home."

"What about Emily? I thought she was performing tonight or tomorrow?" Beca furrows her eyebrows trying to recall the details, but she’s so distracted by Chloe’s presence.

Chloe just laughs, "Emily talked her parents into letting me leave early. She told them she felt ready as ever. Then she told me to go home."

Stacie chimes in, a mischievous grin on her face, "Missed Bella a lot, huh?"

Beca catches Chloe's gaze and she doesn't dare look away. There's something playing on the redhead's lips, and Beca's a goner, "Something like that."

The small brunette looks down at the Cocker Spaniel for help, but she's looking just as smug as Stacie and she wants to hide under the table.

"So, do I still get visiting rights now that you're back?" Beca asks (honestly asks because she's actually bonded with the dog) and Stacie stifles a laugh.

Chloe flashes a bright smile, "Of course, Becs. I'm sure Bella would love that."

“That’s great,” Stacie adds and Beca wants to leap across the room and cover her mouth, “Because Beca would love that too.”

***

"I hear Code Red Inferno is in full-motion. Stace said you two couldn't keep your eyes off each other. AND you have 'visiting rights'?!"

"Oh my god, Jesse. Stop." Beca says, flopping onto the couch. Between Jesse and Stacie, she's going to get an aneurysm.  

"Come on, Becaw. She's been back for a few weeks and..." He stops, "You're avoiding her because you finally got it through your thick skull that you really like her."

"What? That's ridiculous."

"That you're avoiding her or that you like her?"

"I'm not talking to you anymore. Goodbye, Jesse."

"The Nile's more than just a river in Africa!" He manages to fit in before she hangs up on him.

So, she's avoiding Chloe.

She's seen her a total of five times since Chloe's been back from Copenhagen. She's had to babysit Bella on two occasions. And in the remaining three encounters, Chloe's managed to memorize how she likes her coffee and Beca's managed to memorize how Chloe takes her tea.  But she's not counting-- definitely not keeping track. And she doesn't miss them or anything. She just has a bunch of stuff to take care of-- like queuing up songs at the station that remind her of blue eyes or watching old Barden Bellas performances.

There's also that mix Beca was working on when Chloe returned that she needs to finish. She opens it up and starts recording parts to lay over the two tracks.

“ _I was thinking about her, thinking about me, thinking about us, what we gon' be..._ ”

Before she can go on any further, there's something climbing into her lap and trying to lick her face.

"Bella! What are you doing here?" She sputters as she takes her headphones off, a familiar laugh reaching her ears. She jumps up with the dog in her arms, "Oh my god!"

"Sorry, Becs! You left your door unlocked and Bella really wanted to see you."

Beca laughs setting the dog down, "What is it with you and unlocked doors?"

Bella barks and Chloe laughs.

"We didn't mean to interrupt your recording."

Beca shakes her head, smiling, "It's fine. Did you, uh, need something?"

Chloe shrugs, "Not really. We just haven't seen you lately."

"Missed me?" Beca jokes.

There's a sparkle in Chloe's eyes that Beca can't look away from, "Something like that."

The brunette clears her throat, "Do you wanna...?" She points to her laptop, the recording software still up. "...help me out on this mix?"

"You want me to sing?"

"I mean, you don't have to...I just--you know--being a Bella and--"

Chloe leans forward and kisses Beca on the cheek, which makes Beca's heart go on complete overdrive, "You're adorable when you're flustered." She shrugs before taking a seat in front of the computer, "I'd love to, but, uh, how do I work this thing?" She gestures to the equipment.

Beca chuckles and helps her get set up with the headphone and the microphone.

"How do I look?" Chloe asks a little loudly now that she's got the headphones blocking out some of her hearing.

"Like a pro, Beale." Beca smiles as she engrains the image of Chloe Beale rocking her headphones and doing small vocal exercises, "Whenever you're ready."

And Beca loses herself in the song the when Chloe starts singing _Just the Way You Are_. She almost misses when she should come in with _Just a Dream_ , and smiles when Chloe looks a little surprised at the proximity of their faces. Beca's mic isn't a big fancy one, so she has to get in a little close. When the song ends, Chloe is squealing, Beca is grinning, and Bella is wagging her tail madly.

Beca's half-surprised that Bella didn't join in with them too, but maybe even Bella can tell there's something between them as they harmonize- their voices fitting together like they're meant for each other. And that thought alone makes Beca's head spin.

Chloe's a little breathless and she's still only inches away when Beca pulls back. The redhead watches as the brunette sets her shoulders and stares at the screen, a slight smile making it onto her face because it sounds perfect. Chloe beats her to it, "That was great, wasn't it, Becs?"

All Beca wants to do is run because her chest is literally overflowing. Besides, Chloe's looking at her like she's made of stars (and Beca's probably looking at Chloe like she's the sun). It's new and different and sends shivers up her spine. She can feel the sensation at the tips of her fingers and toes. It's weird because she feels so...content. And Chloe's gotten up from her seat and taken a few steps towards Beca. Beca's never felt so vulnerable as she finds herself under Chloe's hooded gaze.

Maybe Beca should say something, anything, but Chloe's leaning in and Beca's mind goes blank as she also leans forward. Their lips meet; and it's soft and so right that Beca's knees go a little weak the moment Chloe slides her hands around her waist. Beca's hands get lost in red hair as the kiss deepens and she finally pulls away to catch her breath, all smiles and all giggles escaping between them.

Bella barks, making them both jump. Beca swears she's never seen the dog so pleased with itself. "This is all your fault, you know?" She glances at Chloe whose face falls at the statement, but Beca pulls her close so their bodies flush together.

Chloe breathes out, "What?"

"I never said it was a bad thing.”

The redhead peeks at the brunette from under her eyelashes, "Am I aca-awesome?"

Beca doesn’t want to say it, but Chloe's growing smile makes her cave, "Aca-awesome."

The redhead doesn't even let her laugh and just kisses her senseless.

“So you did miss me?” Beca resurfaces, her eyes still closed as she feels Chloe’s lips on hers again.

Chloe pulls back, her lips lingering for a moment before she whispers, “And you think I’m aca-awesome.”

Beca’s smiling into this kiss, “I guess we’re even.”

“Thanks for taking care of my dog.”

“No,” Beca says, shaking her head at the feeling overcoming her.  Beca's not really sure how, but a copper-haired Cocker Spaniel managed to change her life and bring her Chloe Beale. And she’s definitely not going to complain. “Thank you.”

***

“Damn, I owe Stacie fifty bucks.”

“Wait, what?” Beca glares at the camera. “You and Stacie _bet_ on me and Chloe?”

“Yeah, that’s what the code names are for.” Jesse shrugs, letting out a heavy sigh, “I thought it was gonna take you six months to admit you got the hots for Red.”

Beca blinks, “Well, that explains why neither of you would leave it alone.” Then she makes a face, “And ew, don’t say that ever again. Red is the dog. Chloe is my girlfriend.”

“Her very hot girlfriend, might I add. And it only took her two months.” Chloe chimes in, wrapping her arms around Beca from behind and placing a kiss on Beca’s cheek that makes the brunette flush as red as Chloe’s hair, “Hi, Jesse.”

“Hi, Chloe!” He responds, grinning at the two of them. “You did the impossible, Chloe.”

“Oh?” Chloe raises an eyebrow, wearing a cheeky grin when she spies the color on Beca’s face. “Did I?”

“Yeah, I never thought she’d ever be house-broken.” Jesse’s laughing and Beca’s glaring at him, “Look at her now. She’s so well-behaved.”

“Fuck you, Swanson.”

“Becs, that’s not nice.”

Beca pouts, “He started it.”

Jesse laughs and makes a whipping noise. Bella jumps up onto Beca’s lap. Chloe laughs because the dog’s barking in apparent agreement, so she kisses Beca’s pout right off her face.

(Jesse swears they’re a movie come to life, like _Pillow Talk_ meets _Must Love Dogs_. Beca flips him off as Chloe deepens their kiss.)

***

Beca walks into her apartment after a long night at the station. She hums as Bella zooms around her and she pets the dog. She surveys the place for a certain redhead whom she finds on the bed, red hair splayed against white. She quickly changes into sweats and climbs into bed next to her girlfriend.

Chloe immediately latches onto the brunette, like a heat-seeking missile. And Beca welcomes the warmth and the way Chloe loves to bury her face into her neck. She sighs contently and is ready to fall asleep when she feels Bella nipping at her toes.

Bella's whining at the foot of the bed. Beca groans, "Chlo, your dog wants something."

"You have to sing to her." Chloe explains, her voice full of sleep and her her breath tickling the brunette's neck.

"I have to sing to her?"

Chloe snuggles in closer, placing a kiss on Beca's neck. "Mhmm."

"I don't wanna." Bella starts to paw at her feet. "Honestly? I hate that paperweight."

Beca can feel Chloe smile against her skin, "She loves when you sing." And it's not far from the truth. They have trouble keeping Bella from breaking down the bathroom door when Beca's singing in the shower.

" _You_ just want to hear me sing." The brunette accuses her, a smile playing at her lips anyway.

"Maybe." Beca feels Chloe’s smile just  grow wider. Bella just lets out a heavy huff and curls up at their feet, defeated. "You made her sad."

Beca sighs, "I'll make it up to her later. I'm tired."

"Promise?"

"I swear on the almighty paperweight." Beca sighs contently, pulling the redhead closer to her (if possible). She smiles into red hair, "Night, Chlo."

"Morning, Becs."


End file.
